World Cares Center is excited to announce that we have joined forces with ServiceNation - a coalition of hundreds of organizations from all sectors of America - united with the common goal of meeting the needs of communities through service.

As part of this initiative, Americans are called to take part in a Day of Action on Saturday, September 27, 2008 to promote service and rally citizens to volunteer.

With a vast variety of good preparedness information and guides, making a comprehensive and relevant plan is an overwhelming project. Learn about all the phases of preparedness and response and leave this workshop having created a comprehensive plan that is meaningful to you, your family and your workplace.

The workshop will be offered at World Cares Center's office at 520 8th Avenue New York, NY 10018. Please RSVP by September 17th.

In October, World Cares Center will be delivering Disaster Volunteering I: Grassroots Readiness and Response to District 22 Community Board One. For more details please contact Megan Graham at 212-563-7570 x 210.

Grassroots Readiness and Response, the first module in the Disaster Volunteering series has recently received funding from the Honorable Annabel Palma, District 18 in the Bronx.

9/16/08 - 9/19/08: World Cares will be participating in the Asia Pacific International Volunteer Administration Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Experts from the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand and Micronesia will congregate to address issues in volunteer management, opportunities for the aging, disaster readiness and recovery, and pathways to peace and service. Lisa Orloff will be delivering a 3 hour course overview of World Cares Center’s Leading and Managing: Spontaneous Community Volunteers, Force Multipliers in Disaster Response.

9/10/08: World Cares Center participated in a Half Day Quarterly Event organized by the Contingency Planning Exchange held at the Greater NY American Red Cross in Manhattan. The topic of the day was Building Resiliency - Making the Right Decision. Lisa Orloff gave a presentation on Comprehensive Risk Management: Beyond the Desktop.

7/11/08: World Cares Center along with NY Cares, American Red Cross, NYC OEM and the Salvation Army participated in a Spontaneous Volunteer Walk In Reception Center Drill at Washington Irving High School. Special thanks to our volunteers who gave up their hot Saturday to participate in testing the plan.

8/4/08: World Cares Center helped to kick off National Preparedness Month by passing out Go Bags and flyers in Union Square. One of five locations in the city, World Cares Center, NYC OEM, American Red Cross and Citizen Corp Council volunteers helped educate the public about how they could be prepared in the event of a disaster.

7/28/08 - 8/1/08: World Cares Center was asked to return for its second annual involvement in the J9 Nobel Resolve experiment.
Noble Resolve ´08: "Military Planning for Next Catastrophe" in Suffolk, VA was held from July 28th to August 1st. A series of events designed by U.S. Joint Forces Command and U.S. Northern Command to enhance homeland defense measures and military support during natural or man-made disasters, World Cares Center offered insight into information sharing between government and NGO´s, and NGO´s and community groups.

The Iron Skillet Cookoff, November 3, 2008

WORLD CARES CENTER´S IRON SKILLET COOK OFF PITS FDNY FIREFIGHTERS AGAINST TOP NYC RESTAURANT CHEFS

A Panel of Celebrity Judges to Decide who will take Top Honors at Seventh Annual Fundraiser for Disaster Preparedness.

On Monday November 3, 2008, World Cares Center, Inc. (WCC) [www.worldcares.org] will host its seventh annual Iron Skillet Cook Off, a unique gastronomic fundraiser in which five firefighters battle against five of New York City´s best restaurant chefs to find out who is New York City´s hottest chef. The event, to be held at Strata (915 Broadway) from 6:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m., is open to the public and benefits WCC and its mission to foster safe and effective disaster response and resiliency within communities worldwide. Learn more about the event here: www.ironskilletcookoff.org.

Valerie Smaldone returns as Master of Ceremonies. Highlights of the evening will include world-renowned brewmaster Garrett Oliver pairing Brooklyn Brewery´s craft beers with the chefs´ dishes; a live auction that includes exclusive items such as a private tasting for 50 at Brooklyn Brewery; select wines; and of course, a taste of the delicious food prepared by all 10 chefs.

The cook-off works as follows: participating firefighters each submit an original recipe for the competition. The firefighters are then paired one-on-one with the professional chefs, who are challenged to develop their own unique takes on the ingredients. The 2007 Iron Skillet Winners were Brooklyn´s own Jeffery Scotto of Engine 246 and in 2006 Marc Murphy, owner and Executive Chef of Ditch Plains and Landmarc took the vaunted prize.

Salmon Wellington


John Welborn

Staten Island, E-153/TL-77

vs.

Chef David Ogren of Ammos

Candy apple Chicken

with Julienne Vegetables and Corn Cake


Paul W. Rut

Queens, SOC

vs.

Chef Dave Martin of Crave on 42nd

(Season One Top Chef Finalist)

Corporate sponsorship packages are still available for the event. Individual tickets are $200 and are available for purchase at www.ironskilletcookoff.org, or by calling 212-563-7570.

Media representatives are welcome at the event. To RSVP, to arrange an interview with Lisa Orloff or any of the participating firefighters, or to get photos of the Cook Off, please contact Claudia Fitzpatrick at 212-563-7570 ext. 209 or cfitzpatrick@worldcares.org.